When pigs fly

Another trip to the desert to dive into the pioneering U.S. music festival Coachella. I've heard a lot of complaining about the event over the years, but I'm grateful that we Angeleno's can make an easy two-hour trek to one of the best festivals in the world. I had never experienced such a diversity of acts in one place before my first journey out there in 1999. There's something magical about the desert land site that translates to 'the city of eternal sunshine.' The history of the event stems from a 1993 Tool and Pearl Jam show that summoned 25,000 fans to this first time concert venue location. Radical thinking has been part of the mystique from the get-go as that show was forged to boycott Ticketmaster's monopoly on all Southern California auditoriums.

Six years later, the inaugural '99 Coachella was one of the greatest musical experiences that I've ever had. Gil-Scott Heron, Detroit electronic music legends Derrick May, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Carl Craig, Beck (touring my favorite album Mutations), Ben Harper, Roni Size, Spiritualized, The Chemical Brothers, Morrissey, Nightmares on Wax, Underworld and Banco De Gaia to name a few that blew my mind. I'll never forget coming out of the dance tents and onto a sun drenched 100 degree polo field and feeling almost chilly. Coming from NYC where upstate a disasterous Woodstock a few months earlier featured rapes, fires and $4 bottled water, Coachella was evolutionary with two peaceful days, 25,000 people in attendance, few arrests and free water.

Fast forward to 2008 where one day suits me well as the crowds have grown large and my full speed stamina capacity maxes out at ten hours straight. I would've loved to have seen Prince and Portishead on Saturday, but made the call to witness 64 year old legend Roger Waters embed 'Dark Side of the Moon' into a glorious set. I've read a lot of bitching in the media about his 'bloated' 2+ hour performance, but I say bullocks. Yes, he's been touring the "Dark Side" theme for years, but to see the cohesion and the mastery in the desert was truly remarkable. I guarantee you that kids who wouldn't have otherwise ever checked out this show will never forget it. The surround-sound was the best I've ever heard in an outdoor venue. It was a full-on multi-media experience with great storytelling, incredible visuals, floating inflatable astronauts, pyrotechnics and the infamous flying pig (who got away, had a $10k reward for his return and was returned shredded by the prickly desert). Waters’ night ended with songs from The Wall, with fiery virtuosic soloing by violinist (and sultry Angeleno) Lili Haydn taking over Gilmour’s original leads on “Comfortably Numb.”

Kudo's to Goldenvoice for spending the cash to make Waters performance one of the most memorable ones in it's storied history. Coachella has always been a place of inspiration rekindling old flames like The Pixies, Iggy and the Stoges, Janes Addiction, Rage against the Machine, Siouxie and the Banshees, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Bauhaus and one of my fave acts this year Love and Rockets. It's also been a place where radical art is showcased to people who make the journey here from all over the world (who ain't ever going to make the more complicated trip to Burning Man) by amongst others, the Do Lab, Lucent Dossier and Michael Christian.

They've also improved their recycling program a ton since the early years where the field was literally a wasteland of plastic bottles. Teaming up with with Global Inheritance and The Energy Factor to implement various environmental initiatives has been smart, but there is definitely room to improve to catch up with the green initiatives of Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. Best of all though, the festival offered free Amtrak train service to and from LA to on-site campers.
Ahhh, to be 23 again, cruising in the Amtrak bar car and partying for three days in 100 degree heat in the reverential musical pinball machine in the desert. When pigs fly...